Saturday, August 16, 2008

Bob Mellow and Blue Cross

A guest post from my old friend Carl Romanelli.

Conflict of interest is about the most mild term that comes to mind when one thinks of Pennsylvania State Senator, Bob Mellow's post on the Blue Cross Board of Directors. Now to say this is a conflict, well no, it is the ultimate conflict of our interest. In an age when so many Pennsylvanians have no healthcare at all, while BC and other private insurance companies reap record profits, and reform is loaded in the campaign rhetoric of the political candidates; we have Bob Mellow as the Blues inside man. How on earth can we expect Senator Mellow to take seriously the legislation that is before him, like SB 300 (single payer healthcare of PA) when he receives blood money from Blue Cross?What about mergers, reimbursement, and regulation? Worse, when caught all Mellow can say is that he sees no problem. Well certainly not problems for Bob's bank account. In Pennsylvania Blue Cross is about the third most powerful lobby, right behind PNC bank and Blank Rome, LLC. Imagine, your state senator serving on the board of a lobby, a PAC, all while taking salary and benefits from the taxpayer in excess of $100,000.00 per year, plus pension. Yet, so many love these frauds like Mellow, Casey, Kanjorski, Shimkus, and the rest of their ilk. True to my radical callings, I protest these phonies and long for the day voters truly vote their interest instead of reinstalling those whose only link to NEPA mining is their mining of our tax dollars for their own selfish agenda.Carl Romanelli/Luzerne County Green Party

1 comment:

Anonymous
said...

gort,

You are right on the money with this post. I am surprised no one responded to it. Taxpayers must realize that it is their voice that will be heard in Harrisburg. While tere are groups out there that will speak for them taxpayers need to have another "Boston Tea Party."

Unforutnately, if they don't speak out they silently lend support to the culture that has infected Harrisburg for quite some time. Bonsugate is the tip of an iceberg that goes deep into the waters. Rahter than accept what is on the surface we must goe underwater and assess how big this problem really goes.

We are giving our money to unscrupulous people who have taken extreme liberties n spending it. Tom Ridge increased the gas tax for roads and bridges, gone. Tim Holden said he got more transportation money for our highways, gone.

Most of the money goes between Philadephia and Pittsburgh that is ppent by Harrisburg. Yet where do they want the money to come from to pay for roads, bridge repair and maintenance? Northeast PA and tolling I 80. Some nerve yet there isn't the volumonous outcry that will send an clear message of rejection.

You cannot serve two masters. Mellow is trying to do that. Evidently polygamy is not a crime in Pennsylvania afterall.